I sent this email to NBC the other day. Since I haven’t heard anything back, I figured that I’d try it here:
I am writing on behalf of six women, ages 50 to 70 – friends for decades who often spend our time together discussing politics and what would we do if we had the power to initiate change. We often – only half in jest – insist that we have the broad knowledge and experience among the six of us to run the country better than the men currently in charge.
Yesterday, we brainstormed, way into the evening, about what might be done to counteract the vitriol and misinformation generated by the extreme Right. Other than giving Rachel Maddow a prime time spot on NBC (which, we pragmatically recognize isn’t going to happen), we came up with this strategy for your consideration.
Brian Williams is just about the most respected newscaster out there, and his audience crosses the spectrum of political views.
At the end of each NBC Nightly News Broadcast, Williams should spend the last five minutes doing a version of Maddow’s “Debunktion Junction,” in which he presents hard facts that dispel myths being presented as fact by both the Right and the Left.
Brian Williams has the deserved reputation of presenting the news without bias, and, unlike Maddow (whom we love, by the way), his news programs reach citizens with a broad spectrum of political viewpoints.
We need a “political mythbusters,” a 2011 “Sgt. Joe Friday” to drag into the net of misinformation “just the facts.”
I think that is a fabulous idea. I like Brian Williams and watch his evening news program regularly. I also like to watch Nightline which would also be a good forum for your idea, alas, it is not the network that Brian Williams is on. Now that I’ve read your idea, I find it hard to believe that no one else has thought of this! It’s like snopes.com for television.
I use factcheck.org to check out things – also one can sign up for periodic emails which are useful when things heat up and so-called facts get thrown around. They are definitely non-partisan. What I like about the three mainstream news shows is that they are calmer and not full of the mean remarks that even Rachel can come up with. That said, I do watch her.